Atari Xevious Bartop 10" VGA CRT

[retrofuture]

It's taken a while, but here are some initial designs for a Xevious Bartop.






Zorg kindly supplied me with his fantastastic vectored artwork around which the design is based. 

I'm trying to be as sympathetic as posible to the original cabinet design while it scaling down - hopefully retaining the classic Xevious shape.

[retrofuture]

Tiled print out with 10" CRT for scale.



Traced and ready to cut.

[retrofuture]

Got some time today to cut out the sides. Starting with an MDF template.



I made 4 extras (two shown here), I'm building two of these - one for my brother and one for me - as we're both big Xevious fans. I'll keep the template in case I build another one at some point in the future.



Then routed the T-Molding slots out.



Test fitted some T-Molding. I think I need to by a glue gun, it's fairly snug across the flats, but springs out on inner and outer curves (even with v cuts). Maybe my cutter's too big, or my T-mold's too small...

[retrofuture]

The Atari switches have arrived. I'm going to be using original tall plastic cones .

[TOK]

Xevious is one of my favorite games ever. Looks tight with the monitor in there. Once the controls are in, are you going to have room for the computer?

[IG-88]

Cool project! I agree with TOK, It's gonna be tight. Can you remove that shielding around the monitor? That might give you a little more leeway on where to mount stuff (the main-board too). Also, don't forget the use of Hot Glue. Indispensable in my opinion.....On one of mine, I actually had to extend some of the wiring but I mounted it (main-board) to the underside of the top of the bartop to give me some extra room.

[retrofuture]

There should be (famous last words!) enough room in there for the 48-in-1 and mini atx psu. I'll see when I get there! At least there is the option of taking the shielding out should needs be.

[retrofuture]

There's room to the side of the monitor for the Jamma board:



The PSU may go here:

[TOK]

Is that power supply flat or is there like a little flange on the bottom of it?
The way its sitting, you're going to lose at least 1/2" if you mount the cab base flush with the edges. That means your supply is going to have to come forward, with the front edge nearly at the base of the tube just eyeballing it.
This would then put you close to where the stick bases could contact the supply if you bottom mount them.

If that thing on the bottom of the supply is something you did to account for the thickness of the cab base, ignore this.
Not trying to badger you about it, but I built a much larger bartop and there are still spots in there that are tight. 

[retrofuture]

TOK please feel free to Badger away!

The 'flange' sticking out is where the fan is mounted. I'm thinking of recessing it into the base. Alternatively there may be space behing the marquee with the fan venting upwards.

[retrofuture]

Laid the joystick (mag-stik plus with ball top) in place. It looks like some creative routing needs to take place to give the restrictor plate mechanism enough room. Good job it's got a short throw.

[retrofuture]

Test fitted the base for scale.

Pics give an indication of how much room is available inside.

[IG-88]

By the way where did you get the dinky little monitor?

[retrofuture]

Ebay for sale at £25. As luck would have it the seller works on my site (2000+ people so it's difficult to know everyone!). He had 30, I bought 4 for £90.

They're NOS as far as I can tell.

[leapinlew]

Very nice. Good luck! I'll be watching.

 

[retrofuture]

Well a few spots of rain today, but for a Bank Holiday not too bad. It usually trashes it down!

I got outside for a few hours and cut a few more pieces:





I'm going to have to be a bit cute on the angles around the marquee or it's going to end up with less depth than I want.

I tried out some marquee retainer (that I got in a big bag of 'junk' free when I bought a second hand monitor - 33" Hantarex, Lord knows what I'm going to do with it!), but although it's exactly the shape I need it's 28" across and my two cabs are 14". Taking into account the width of the cut it won't span both cabs.

I'm also having a think about how to hold the monitor plexi in place. I'm thinking of having it slide in from the top and retained by wooden blocks top and bottom. I really don't trust my routing skills to recess a groove in the sides to retain it. This is the first time I've used a router (my first cab  ), but I'd like to get the finish as good as possible.

[retrofuture]

Spent today catching up with the second bartop and starting to produce the speaker housing for both cabs.

I bought some black rectangular speaker grille, from eBay, to mount under the marquee and will place two 2.5" shielded speakers in there.

[leapinlew]

The more I look at it, the more I think you'll be unhappy with the viewing angle. If you don't plan on playing it much, you'll be fine. I don't play my mini-galaga much because it's so small.

It looks like you'll have to look pretty straight forward on the thing to have an unobstructed view.

[retrofuture]

It depends on difference in height of table and chair I suppose.

I spent quite a bit of time (hopefully), getting the ergonomics correct. I can't see marathon sessions on them though!

I've one of the cabs in front of me and it feels pretty good. It's hard to tell from the photos, but the viewing angle's pretty wide height-wise (if the concern is the marquee obscuring the view).

The cabs are 'usable' objet d'art pieces really. I'm trying to build something that does justice to the original artwork, is pretty playable, and a bit of fun.

[retrofuture]

Your Mini-Galaga is superb by the way.

[retrofuture]

A first draft of the control panel and CPO front.

Yep, it's going to be tight.

The left hand player buttons are the controls for the 48-in-1. The Magstik mount is shown, as are the Atari cone buttons.

I'm going to tweek some more...

[leapinlew]

Looking good.

[retrofuture]

Looking good.

Thanks Lew.

Tested out the CP today. I'm still playing about with it - the difficulty is getting the cone buttons away from the player buttons. Currently the tendency is to rest your third finger on the cone.



I'll play about some more before making a template.

[retrofuture]

Lew, how did you attach your monitor plexi on your (rather fabulous) Galaga bartop?

[retrofuture]

The Marquee has a much wider aspect ratio the the original. Not a bad thing as it gives the oportunity to place a few more ships in there.

Here's the draft so far:

[Bender]

this whole thing looks great!

[leapinlew]

how did you attach your monitor plexi

I tried using velcro,  but I don't use that stuff for anything anymore. I used 2 small black screws at the top of the bezel in the black part of the artwork. You can't really tell it's there.

I really like the monitor you're using. The marquee looks good too.

[danny_galaga]

ooh! I'm rather fond of lil CRT's. Good show, old bean!

[retrofuture]

They do give a good picture - pretty tight. I haven't tried one through a MAME'd PC with scan lines (maybe I'll try one out for the next bartop!), but they look great through a VGA box on a dreamcast...

[retrofuture]

this whole thing looks great!

Thanks Bender. I'm still trying to figure out how to finish the sides without artwork. Your Benderama has a great laminate finish, but finding laminate sheet (that's not through a high-end manufacturer) as pretty difficult and expensive.

I may have to paint or vinyl, but I'd really like to get the toughness of laminate.

[Bender]

Hey Retro,
I have a great idea, I think your project is small enough that this iron on melamine might work for you ( it's only 24" wide)
seems like one roll should do your whole project, oh yeah it comes in grey and white too!

I just used this stuff on a couple of xbox 360 controllers and it worked great! almost as tough as "real" laminate, but much easier to work with, I only wish they made it 48" wide so I could use it on a full size cab

just be sure there no imperfections on the surface, but over MDF that should be no problem at all

[retrofuture]

Thanks Bender, I'll try to find some in the UK.

Made some progress with the speaker housings (it's not glued yet as it all needs finishing/painting etc so it's a bit squiffy):



I'm mounting 2 1/2" shielded speakers behind there, with some black speaker cloth the hide them. From the images I have it looks similar to the original cab, but it's the best I can do anyway!

[Bender]

I have a roll if getting it shipped, or finding it there is a problem

[retrofuture]

Cheers Bender, I'll give you a shout if I have difficilty finding some here.

[retrofuture]

I spent today filling, sanding, filling, sanding, drilling, screwing....

...holes for these:



Putting some piano hinge in, the idea is to have the back and sloping top hinged in two parts for easier access to the inners. Since the back panel is pretty small, having the top removable will mean I'll be able to get anywhere inside except to the bottom of the control panel. I'll leave the base screws visible for that.

The top and back will lock down with a barrel lock:



Probably placed centrally at the top of the sloping back panel.

Oh, and just to prove that the monitor fits (yep, it's tight, but it gets in there without the need to remove or modify the casing):



Did I mention that building two is a right royal pain in the  ? You have to do everything twice you know - what's going on there?   

[retrofuture]

I've spent an hour a night trying to get something done - it's difficult when my 'little darlings' pick up pieces and run off with them!

Cab no. 1:



Cab no. 2:



The retaining pine bar across the top pulls the side panels together and acts as a lock for the top sloping panel. The barrel lock will interface with the bar to hold down the top and back.

[parag0n]

http://www.blackheathproducts.co.uk/ are a very good cheap laminate supplier, ~£30 for a 4m x 1.5m sheet!

This Thread and This Thread are very useful resources on getting laminate within the UK for a sane price!

[retrofuture]

Thanks parag0n (and Bender). I think I'm going to cover the both cabs with laminated vinyl from http://www.arcadestickers.co.uk/.

Hot glue is crud. Both back doors have come apart, so They're being PVA'd together at the mo. I don't know whether the hot glue is not very good on MDF or not, but sticking it to pine 1/4 dowels doesn't work for me. 

[retrofuture]

Well, all the hot glue's off now  , time to wait for some new sanding disks to arrive.

[retrofuture]

The holes are now drilled for the locks and air vents. I picked up a few vents (and cab handles as I bought a job lot), which have a leather texture to them. Very 80's  .

[HaRuMaN]

Thanks parag0n (and Bender). I think I'm going to cover the both cabs with laminated vinyl from http://www.arcadestickers.co.uk/.

Hot glue is crud. Both back doors have come apart, so They're being PVA'd together at the mo. I don't know whether the hot glue is not very good on MDF or not, but sticking it to pine 1/4 dowels doesn't work for me. 

Don't use hot glue for that.  Use simple wood glue.  Much much better results.

I want one of those tiny monitors, by the way... lol.

[retrofuture]

Yep, but I had to use my new hot glue gun on something!

The monitors are dinky, yet flippin' deep (and heavy). There's no way these things are going to move  about. They're almost a two-man lift.

[HaRuMaN]

Yep, but I had to use my new hot glue gun on something!

The monitors are dinky, yet flippin' deep (and heavy). There's no way these things are going to move  about. They're almost a two-man lift.

Use the hot glue gun on wires... after soldering...   

I wish I could find those monitors here in the US.  I could think of many a neat project for those.

[retrofuture]

Ah, I get you  , I'm a bit new to this and haven't tackled a wordworking/eletronic project since school (20+ urm yrs).

I was lucky to pick the monitors up. They were the inspirational, cheap basis, along with Zorg's brilliant tracing, of the cabs.

Although as leapinlew said in his Galaga bartop thread, I'm now (and my bro) down £X00's with bits left over.

[retrofuture]

Long time, no post.

I've designed the bezel artwork using the original design plus the artwork from between the monitor glass and control panel.



The polycarbonate is now roughly cut for the marquee and monitor. I'm using 3mm clear, with the artwork behind, backed by 5mm smoked. It should be fairly sturdy.

[Rusty Shackelford]

The polycarbonate is now roughly cut for the marquee and monitor. I'm using 3mm clear, with the artwork behind, backed by 5mm smoked. It should be fairly sturdy.

Just out of interest where are you getting it from? I think you mentioned in a post somewhere else you are in the West Mids.

[retrofuture]

All from eBay. There are some good prices for off-cuts occasionally.

[retrofuture]

Some more photos:

Air vent holes drilled.



Grille attached.



Current front view.

[Ond]

What a nifty and unique cab!  The artwork compliments that monitor really well.  I see you got your barrel lock in, there's something pretty satisfying about being able to lock up the cab, or is that just me? 

[retrofuture]

Thanks Ond. Yep having a lock is part of the experience... it doesn't lock yet though    I'm going to put an aluminium bar across the cab for a positive lock down.

The top and back is hinged allowing complete access to the upper innards.

[Pinball Wizard]

I've been watching your cabinet grow (as a lurker). Turning out great. I like how well you did the artwork and how it literally looks like you cut the game in half but yet still compliments the artwork that was in the latter half of the game. Good stuff.

[retrofuture]

Thanks Pinball. The artwork's really down to Zorg's great tracing. I'm really basing it around that. The premise of the cab is 'what if Atari created a smaller version of the full size cab for use on, for example, a trans-atlantic plane,... etc'.

[Bender]

great work!

Love the curved CP

and the art just looks awesome

[retrofuture]

Cheers Bender. My woodworking skills aren't up to much, the curved CPO is 1/4 dowel, but it will do.

I'm really tempted now to mount the extra bezel artwork, at the bottom of the artwork above, on a separate 'plate' that sits proud of the main screen bezel... much like the original cab.

[retrofuture]

The polycarbonate is now cut for the screen. I'll move onto the marquee next.

I'm still pondering whether to cover the inner sides with vinyl or paint them...

[retrofuture]

Bezel(s) cut:



3mm clear + 5mm smoked x 2:

[opt2not]

The polycarbonate is now cut for the screen. I'll move onto the marquee next.

I'm still pondering whether to cover the inner sides with vinyl or paint them...

Vinyl all the way!
It's cleaner, more even looking, and will take less time.

I'm super excited to see your project completed, keep up the good work!

[retrofuture]

Yeah, I know I should go vinyl...  thanks for giving me a kick!

I managed to cut the marquee polycarbonate to size at the weekend:



I've moved from the aluminium retainer to some plastic extruded angle lengths. They have some 'give' in them that will allow for the angles that the marquee sits at.



The image above shows the angle.

[DrumAnBass]

So damn cool!!!   

[cboy]

where did you get the plastic retainer? some hardware store? if so what dept woudl i look in? i was JUST looking at some aluminum angle iron tonight....

[retrofuture]

The retainer was from my local independent hardware store £5.49 for an 8 foot length. It's 10mm by 40mm. and fairly pliable. I've had to use 5 screws per 14" length to stop it from bowing up due to the pressure it's under from bending forwards. It would be a hell of a lot easier if all the angles were 90°!

[Epyx]

I used HD's version of that retainer...easy to paint black and works perfect.

[retrofuture]

Nice FF cab Epyx  . How did you secure the retainer? I cant see any screws/bolts. Very clean.

[retrofuture]

I printed out some test colour lasers of the artwork for positioning:



I need to make a few positional amendments, but other than that I'm pleased with how it looks so far. 

[IG-88]

Wow! Is that just printed on your home printer? Looks pretty good as is!

[retrofuture]

Colour Laser A3. It doesn't look that great in reality!

[Bender]

looks fantastic!

can't wait to see the actual art if the mock up looks this good

[retrofuture]

Cheers Bender 

I drilled out the control panel today, including the recesses for the cone buttons. 12mm hole for the led, forstner bit for the switch recess. There's approx 2mm of mdf holding the cone in place.

[retrofuture]

Test fitting the CP confirms that the depth of the Mag-Stik Plus means I'm going to have to drill a hole in the cab base for the 4-8 way mech to fit into. Still, at least it will give more ventilation.

[retrofuture]

After a bit of fiddling the test marquee is now at the correct angle:

[spriggy]

Nice job.  Good test artwork always makes you stand back and go,, "Did I do that?"

Bring it!! 

[retrofuture]

Nice job.  Good test artwork always makes you stand back and go,, "Did I do that?"

Or in my case reassures me that the dimensions are correct

[leapinlew]

 

[retrofuture]

I drilled out the second cabs CP tonight.

I'm toying with the idea of replacing the polycarbonate clear monitor with 3mm tempered glass.

Also filled in a couple of holes in each marquee retainer. It seems now I've got the angles correctly aligned that there's not so much tension between the retainer and the marquee polycarb. I don't need five screws, and it looks alot better going back to three.

[LeedsFan]

I've been giving the subject of marquee retainers some thought for my bartop project. It's one of those fiddly and awkward parts to get right. I been looking at these: (scroll down to the "flexible lipping" and also "flexible hockey stick"):

http://www.pvcextrusions.co.uk/html/plastestrip/EDGING.HTM

Not sure which would be best. Also have to buy in a 15m coil so will be loads going to waste (plus I haven't priced it up yet). I do plan on using two strips back to back to make the lower marquee/bezel retainer on a DK project. I've ordered from this company before and they are really nice and friendly to deal with.

Your Xevious is looking really cool man. I've been looking more at people's bartop projects and getting more inspiration for my own. That monitor was exactly what I was looking for originally before I settled on a 15" LCD. Does the guy have any of those left? I might be interested for a future project. How heavy are they exactly?

[retrofuture]

Thanks LeedsFan. That site has some pretty useful extrusions on it, and in black to boot.

I'm afraid that the chap has sold out of monitors. I quite fancied buying some more from him for other projects

I haven't weighed the monitor, however I do know that it weighs nearly as much as the rest of the cab put together. It has a 15-pin VGA connector and cable hard-wired to it.

[retrofuture]

I ordered 4 of these today for the back admin buttons:

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=174-2496#header

They 'should' look like mini Atari cone buttons, albeit chrome throughout, but you never know when you're ordering blind fro the RS site. I'll post pics when they arrive.

[retrofuture]

As promised, here are the pics. The buttons look fantastic 







So good in fact, that it seems a waste to put them on the back of the cab. They're also available with black plungers. No led versions I'm afraid 

[retrofuture]

The button are available from RS in the UK:

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=174-2496

RS Stock No. 174-2496
Manufacturer Apem
Manufacturers Part No. 1213MC8

Data Sheet:

http://docs-europe.electrocomponents.com/webdocs/0032/0900766b80032e0d.pdf

[saleem]

can these buttons be used for on/off buttons/

as in,for powering on/off a pc on a mame cab?

i agree they do look nice.

i got a couple of realy old push button things that have microswitchs on and i am unsure if they are any good for powering on/off a pc.i am wandering if a microswitch is capable for on/off switch?

[retrofuture]

Hi Saleem, PC power switches are mostly momentary push buttons (like these).  A brief push can cause an ordered shutdown, while a continued push (as set in the bios) can cause the PSU to turn off instantly after a length of time (3-5 seconds).

A microswitched button will do just as well.

There's some more info in this thread: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=38145.0

[Franco B]

Looking hawt retro baby! 

How do you find the mag sticks?

[retrofuture]

Thanks Franco. I haven't tried them on this cab yet, but I do have a set on my mamed jamma cab and I think they're a pretty good all round solution. You can't have everything, it would be nice to have 4-8 way switchable leaf sticks with a slightly longer throw...

[retrofuture]

All the artwork for the two cabs has now been ordered. I found a few errors in the Illustrator file for the bezel, but they're fixed now. It's amazing how glaringly obvious faults are only visible when revisiting the work after a breather 

I'll post some pics when the vinyls arrive.

[Bender]

I was just wondering about his project....

can't wait to see the art printed up and installed!

[Epyx]

Agreed, one of my favourite arcade games...can't wait to see the art

Oh and for the 2 week delayed response

I used flat head black screws to keep the bottom retainer in place...you can't see them unless you stick your face down there.

[retrofuture]

Agreed, one of my favourite arcade games...can't wait to see the art

Neither can I! As I've said, I'm using Nigel at arcade stickers and he seems like a really a good bloke. It's great to have someone in the UK who can produce decent artwork.

I still don't know how I'm going to apply the vinyls (they'll cover the entire outers of them). I'm going to dismantle the cabs and see where I go from there.

I bought some control panel clasps that are way too big to fit below the CP. Ended up ordering some dinky catches from RS. It looks like they'll fit 

[polaris]

its looking lovely.
i'm gutted i didn't buy a few of these even more now seeing what you've done with one
 

[retrofuture]

I'm looking aroung for small caravan TVs with scart inputs at the moment. I quite fancy a fleet of bartops (as my wife would say, "they'll fit through the loft hatch"!) 

[retrofuture]

A nice sunny day (for once )... I managed to get the CPs locked down. The height of the panels meant using the ultra small clamps. A couple of holes later and I now have really good access. The hole's also drilled for the Mag-Stik Plus:





The service buttons for the 48-in-1 are now in place on the rear:



The artwork should be here in a couple of days. Not that I'm ready for it 

[Yvan256]

The retaining pine bar across the top pulls the side panels together and acts as a lock for the top sloping panel. The barrel lock will interface with the bar to hold down the top and back.

I hope you don't mind if I "borrow" that idea for my cab?

[retrofuture]

You just go straight ahead 

[Yvan256]

You just go straight ahead 

I see that the top and back each have their own piano hinge, but do I understand correctly that they are attached to one another?

[retrofuture]

Yep, the whole back (minus power and service button area), and top (minus top of marquee area) are foldable. Two lengths of piano hinge hold it together. You can pretty well get to everything inside. The angles on th ends of the doors are a swine to get right though. I'm not saying mine are spot on!

[Yvan256]

Yep, the whole back (minus power and service button area), and top (minus top of marquee area) are foldable. Two lengths of piano hinge hold it together. You can pretty well get to everything inside. The angles on th ends of the doors are a swine to get right though. I'm not saying mine are spot on!

Are you adding something so that the panels won't fall too far down? I'm thinking of having my back and top attached together (fixed, no hinge) and adding a "pivot hinge" (can't find the right name), it's two metal bars that act like a cable to hold the whole thing at a precise height...

[Ond]

That hinged CP looks great! I really like the button layout too, grrr now I'm really getting the itch to build a bar top!

[Yvan256]

That hinged CP looks great! I really like the button layout too, grrr now I'm really getting the itch to build a bar top!

Don't you have another cab to finish first? 

The smaller the cabinet is, the least room you have to correct mistakes along the way. I'd say it takes at least as much planning to do a small bartop, if not more, then a regular-sized upright.

It also helps if you have a 10" VGA CRT to start with. 

[leapinlew]

I'd say it takes at least as much planning to do a small bartop, if not more, then a regular-sized upright.

Amen.

[retrofuture]

The smaller the cabinet is, the least room you have to correct mistakes along the way. I'd say it takes at least as much planning to do a small bartop, if not more, then a regular-sized upright.

The problem with building two at the same time is that I've usually    them both up by the time I realize it!

[retrofuture]

Yvan256, not quite sure what you mean by 'Are you adding something so that the panels won't fall too far down?'. The top rests on a support and has a 'inner 'lip' that stops it sliding backwards. The back just sits there!

Ond, if you start building a bartop it's likely that it will walk into the room by itself and automatically select a game to suit your mood by scanning your biorhythms 

[Franco B]

Looking good! 

Enjoy the sun whilst you can (its lovely here today too), apparently we are going to get autumns weather coming in from next week. What a 'summer' we have had, eh? 

[retrofuture]

It's a nice sunny day in Worcestershire, but I'm stuck at work  Two weeks off soon, hopefully it'll be sunny for some of the time and I'll be able to get some more work on the cabs done. The artwork may have arrived today, I'll just have to wait and see...

[Yvan256]

Yvan256, not quite sure what you mean by 'Are you adding something so that the panels won't fall too far down?'. The top rests on a support and has a 'inner 'lip' that stops it sliding backwards. The back just sits there!

In the closed position, yes, I understand how it's built. I'm talking about when you open the top+back panels, is there a retaining mechanism of some sort?

Finally found the name of what I'm talking about: folding shelf bracket.

[retrofuture]

Ah, I see what you mean. No, there's nothing supporting the door when it's open. The back sits at an angle and the top rests flat on the table surface.

[retrofuture]

I received the artwork through from Nigel at http://www.arcadestickers.co.uk/ today. He's done a fantastic job 

I'll post some pics when it's not too dark to do them justice.

I'd suggest that all U.K. builders buy your graphics from him. Top notch service and a great product. Many thanks Nigel 

[polaris]

I received the artwork through from Nigel at http://www.arcadestickers.co.uk/ today. He's done a fantastic job 

I'll post some pics when it's not too dark to do them justice.

I'd suggest that all U.K. builders buy your graphics from him. Top notch service and a great product. Many thanks Nigel 

i'm split on wether i should put him in the uk wiki, i did initially think vendors shouldn't be included but hmm, what you think UK peeps thoughts in this thread im linking to if you have any?

[retrofuture]

i'm split on wether i should put him in the uk wiki, i did initially think vendors shouldn't be included but hmm, what you think UK peeps thoughts in this thread im linking to if you have any?

I would include Nigel  It's not as if we're over populated with great suppliers in the UK 

[retrofuture]

As promised, some pics of Nigel's great printing (hats off to Zorg for the original files I manipulated  ):

[retrofuture]

And a couple more I forgot to post:

[Kman-Sweden]

Sweet! 

[retrofuture]

Kman, I thought 'Up the Irons!' was a West Ham thing for a mo... not the Maiden!

[Vebbo]

Lurking in these fourums pays off. Really nice bartop, love the curves and that sweet sweet monitor 

[Ryglore]

Super sweet! I love the design of the Xevious stand-up cab. Nice job on recreating it as a bartop! Can't wait to see that artwork on it!

[retrofuture]

I spent a few hours dismantling and spraying up the speaker/marquee area today. It's taking rather longer than I hoped...  It removes as a complete unit, I'll post pics when complete.

[javeryh]

It's taking rather longer than I hoped... 

LOL.  Story of my life with these things.   

[Chicken McNobody]

LOL.  Story of my OUR lives with these things.   

Fixed. . .

[retrofuture]

As promised some pics of the marquee/ speaker box. the tape is holding the speaker cloth in place. It's now been trimmed back. The vinyl was easier to install than I thought. It could be repositioned fairly easily, although I had spray puttied and painted the surfaces black to make sure there would be no 'see-through' from the vinyl:











The two (each cab) 12 " white cold cathodes are working fine from the mini atx psu's.

[polaris]

Youre making 2, dude thank you, shall i send you my address now or wait til its finished

looking nice man, looking very nice

[retrofuture]

You're making 2, dude thank you, shall i send you my address now or wait til its finished

 

I'm not making two again! It's just not immediate enough...

[Ryglore]

Looking good Retro!

[retrofuture]

I made some progress today (albeit small  ). I dismantled on cab and spray puttied the inside of one side. Rubbed down, sprayed black and applied the vinyl. One small problem is I can't find the holes to replace the screen plexi retaining block  No matter how hard I squeegee the vinyl I just can't seem to find them...

The bottom is now painted and vinyl applied to the bottom rear panel (where the service and power inlet are housed.

Man, this is taking a long time 

[polaris]

where did you get the spray putty, i think i saw some in B&Q but i'm convinced it was in a dream cos b&q is so ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.

[retrofuture]

eBay. Simoniz Spray putty, I think I paid £11 for two cans inc postage. It's just filler primer though so Halfords own brand is the same (although £7 a can is a rip-off).

[Grasshopper]

Wow. Nice job. I'm particularly impressed with the artwork.

And it's nice to know that there's a UK company that can produce arcade quality CPOs. I thought I'd have to import a CPO from the States.

[retrofuture]

Nigel's a good bloke wit great feedback from other Jamma+ members. Give him a try, you won't regret it!

[retrofuture]

Wow. Nice job. I'm particularly impressed with the artwork.

Thanks Grasshopper. I'm okay with artwork - it's the woodwork I'm a novice with 

Still, they're better than I ever imagined (crosses fingers and falls on bended knees  , before making a right royal    -up.

[retrofuture]

The vinyl's coming along' After the 'deconstruction' the first inside and base were sprayed with putty, sanded (repeat), and then sprayed black so to not have any see-through from the vinyl.

Here's the base with feet attached:

[retrofuture]

Next the top door was sprayed etc. and vinyl attached. The vent grille and lock were then re-applied and the door assembly (piano hinge), was re-attached:

[retrofuture]

I wasn't looking forward to applying the CPO vinyl in the slightest. I should have had crosses marking the buttons (and not just the joystick). I'll do that in future builds!

I really though that I'd it up at one point, but I'm really happy with how it turned out in the end:



It's (well the first cab anyway  ) starting to really take shape now.

I can't wait to take the Solvalou for a spin.

[retrofuture]

I've applied the vinyl on the second inside-side and cut the bezel to fit. I've left some vertical leeway to accomidate the position of the monitor. I'm going to have to build a card shroud to contain the light leakage.



I think i'll buy some aluminium cones from David at RAM Controls to replace the plastic ones I have here.

[HaRuMaN]

Very nice!!!  I like! 

[saleem]

i think you say your going to make this a multigamma game,is that correct or you had any changes of heart?

assuming that you will just stick a switching power supply a jamma harness/loom and what about the monitor?what are you thinking about with regards powering the monitor?

is there only one type of multiboard your thinking about or are there several,icade etc.

i assume its the 60in1 as thats the only one for vertical isnt it?

i thought about 60in1 for my upright,its monitor is already switched verticaly (by me) in readiness for when i take the £70+ dive for it!

the sides,what do you intend to do with the sides,paint,spray?

i thought i would try out some kind of laminate or alternative covering when i finish my bartop project.

[retrofuture]

Thanks HarumaN 

Saleem, I've got a couple of 48-in-1 Jamma boards go in the cabs. They run off PC PSUs (I've got a couple of mini ATX PSUs for these cabs). The 60-in-1 boards have superceeded  these, but since I'm not intending to use any trackball games, the 48's will do just fine for these cabs.

I've got a couple of Jamma looms to use on the project.

The sideart vinyls are printed already. I haven't had a chance to post pics yet 

[Ryglore]

Looks amazing!!! Now get that side art on there! 

[Grasshopper]

Hi Retrofuture, I've got a quick question if you don't mind.

I notice you're using plain black vinyl for some parts of the cabinet. Did that also come from arcadestickers, or do you have another source?

[retrofuture]

Hi Grasshopper, I created some large black (CMYK), files using the background colour of the CPO. Nigel at ArcadeStickers then ran them out for me. The whole cab now matches.

[Grasshopper]

I see. So does the vinyl have a natural colour, or it is transparent?

I notice you've also used it for the marquee. Does that mean it lets light through?

[retrofuture]

The 'black' vinyl is printed on a black substrate (i.e., if you cut it it's black throughout).  The marquee is printed on backlit material - that is that it lets light through the lighter (white etc.), areas.

[retrofuture]

I wired up the first cab yesterday... and played some games! The screen looks great behind the 3mm clear and 5mm tinted plexi. My 5 year old daughter loves it (which makes it all worth while). I don't know whether the monitor shroud is needed now.

I've run out of the black vinyl for the second cab though, the inside left side panel is looking somewhat bare    I'm hoping to get some more printed up soon.

One minor gripe with the monitors is that when they are powered up initially, at the same time as the 48-in-1, they don't seem to receive a signal. If I unplug them and then re power then everything is fine.

Does anyone out there know of a way to delay power to the monitor for a few seconds?

My guess is that the Jamma board isn't transmitting a signal the instant it's powered on, leading to the monitor going into a standby mode.

[leapinlew]

weird. Seems that when the 48-n-1 does send a signal, the monitor would power on. Do both 48's do that?

It's not as clean as you would like, but you could add a power switch for the monitor.

[retrofuture]

Yep, unfortunately both 48s do the same  If it comes to it then I may have to install a seperate switch.

[Shortbus]

Extremely cool project, I'm following closely, can't wait for updates.....Nice Work !!!!

[opt2not]

This thing is turning out to be really sexy! Good job so far, you're almost there!

Saleem, I've got a couple of 48-in-1 Jamma boards go in the cabs. They run off PC PSUs (I've got a couple of mini ATX PSUs for these cabs). The 60-in-1 boards have superceeded  these, but since I'm not intending to use any trackball games, the 48's will do just fine for these cabs.

If I remember correctly, there should be settings to filter out the game list on those 48-in-1 boards so you don't have to have them displayed in the menu. Though I can't recall entirely...

[retrofuture]

This thing is turning out to be really sexy! Good job so far, you're almost there!

Saleem, I've got a couple of 48-in-1 Jamma boards go in the cabs. They run off PC PSUs (I've got a couple of mini ATX PSUs for these cabs). The 60-in-1 boards have superceeded  these, but since I'm not intending to use any trackball games, the 48's will do just fine for these cabs.

If I remember correctly, there should be settings to filter out the game list on those 48-in-1 boards so you don't have to have them displayed in the menu. Though I can't recall entirely...

Yes you can. You can strip the board down to play a single game if you so wished.

[Turnarcades]

Nice to see a Brit project this good and I've found the artwork printing link useful. For less conspicuous areas, Black Fablon should do the trick and be cheaper than getting more vinyl printed, and as for your power issue, both Argos and Maplin sell a sort of Smartstrip that powers on devices with a delay, so you should look there.

[retrofuture]

Nice to see a Brit project this good and I've found the artwork printing link useful. For less conspicuous areas, Black Fablon should do the trick and be cheaper than getting more vinyl printed, and as for your power issue, both Argos and Maplin sell a sort of Smartstrip that powers on devices with a delay, so you should look there.

Thanks! The way that the monitor an PSU are both wired up to the mains inlet means that I'm after an in-line delay circuit (relay delay?). Unfortunately the Smartstrip style plugs, although they would give a 5 second delay, wouldn't fit inside the cabs. I'm having a look at some from RS...

I've got some black fablon, but since I've managed to cover all the panels apart from one inside, I'm hoping that Nigel comes back to me with the extra sheet.

[retrofuture]

Well six months have passed and due to umpteen circumstances interfering it's now back on track.

After searching for delay timers here's what I've come up with:





A dial-in timer allows for changing the power delay and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. £5 in comparison to £40 plus for a rack-mount component. Now to see if it works...

[retrofuture]

I've installed the marquee and applied one side of sideart tonight on one of the cabs. It's all coming together at last   Please excuse the dust.

[retrofuture]

I'll get some more professional photos taken when they're complete  .

[retrofuture]

I've used some black pica vinyl from Happ to cover the inside panel after Nigel didn't come through. It's a perfect match, although the cost of importing makes it somewhat expensive.

[emphatic]

 

Looking forward to seeing it running games!

[opt2not]

Definitely my pick for best looking bartop. 
This looks so good!!

I'm interested in seeing how that delay timer turns out for you.

Man, I can't stop staring at those pictures. This thing is going to be triple-A when it's done.   

[Epyx]

Ya, I gotta agree. This thing is sweet! 

One of my favourite games of all time and arguably one of Atari's finest cab designs and now in bartop form

How are you handling the sides? Paint, laminate?

[opt2not]

I forgot to ask, are you still planning on replacing the plastic cone buttons on the CP with chrome ones?  If you are, might i suggest getting chrome t-molding to match?  I've had considerable fortune using the chrome t-molding on my El Diablo Mechanico cabinet, it really makes the cabinet look sleek & sexy.  I can foresee your Xevious looking amazing from that chrome reflection/shine of the joystick shaft, cones, and t-molding all together.

Yeah, another suggestion from me again...i just really like this project.  

[retrofuture]

Definitely my pick for best looking bartop. 
This looks so good!!

I'm interested in seeing how that delay timer turns out for you.

Man, I can't stop staring at those pictures. This thing is going to be triple-A when it's done.   

Thanks. I'm wondering if the delay timer works too!

[retrofuture]

Ya, I gotta agree. This thing is sweet! 

One of my favourite games of all time and arguably one of Atari's finest cab designs and now in bartop form

How are you handling the sides? Paint, laminate?

The sides are sprayed with putty, rubbed down and sprayed white. The vinyl is then applied with panic in my eyes 

[retrofuture]

I forgot to ask, are you still planning on replacing the plastic cone buttons on the CP with chrome ones?  If you are, might i suggest getting chrome t-molding to match?  I've had considerable fortune using the chrome t-molding on my El Diablo Mechanico cabinet, it really makes the cabinet look sleek & sexy.  I can foresee your Xevious looking amazing from that chrome reflection/shine of the joystick shaft, cones, and t-molding all together.

Yeah, another suggestion from me again...i just really like this project.  

The cones are original black plastic Atari. I'm trying to keep it as original as possible.

Black T-molding as per original... 

[Ryglore]

Man I still love this project. Makes me wish I had some sweet bartop idea cooking... 

[taylormadelv]

I want one! That looks soooo cool!

[retrofuture]

Side two of the artwork's on. Looking good.

I need to wire up this cab now, wait for it to stop raining, apply sideart to cab one and then the t-molding can go on.

[retrofuture]

The first cab's all sanded primed and painted up now - it stopped raining today  Just need to apply the side art (plus wire the thing up). Still thinking about how to make the cone LEDs light up correctly. I think that I'll have to mod a flasher kit from Maplin.

[jimmy2x2x]

Just wondering how you are getting on with the bartops?

Would love so see them finished

[retrofuture]

Hey, thanks for the interest 

I've got the t-molding on one of the cabs. It's looking good so far.

The other still needs wiring up and artwork applying to the sides. It all kind of went on hold while I had a knee op.

I'm looking forward to getting them finished now.

[opt2not]

Hey, thanks for the interest 

I've got the t-molding on one of the cabs. It's looking good so far.

The other still needs wiring up and artwork applying to the sides. It all kind of went on hold while I had a knee op.

I'm looking forward to getting them finished now.

Glad to hear you're recovering from the knee op!

[retrofuture]

Hey, thanks for the interest 

I've got the t-molding on one of the cabs. It's looking good so far.

The other still needs wiring up and artwork applying to the sides. It all kind of went on hold while I had a knee op.

I'm looking forward to getting them finished now.

Glad to hear you're recovering from the knee op!

Thanks.

I've still got to try out the power delays. The monitors are not playing ball.

Also, the shielded and buzz quite a lot. I'll have a go at sorting them out soon.

My kids love playing on them, even though they're incomplete 

[Turnarcades]

Do you have anything to do with Nigel at arcadestickers anymore? The guy seems to have gone AWOL, or has completely turned off to this community when he stopped answering e-mails earlier this year?

[shrunkenmaster]

Do you have anything to do with Nigel at arcadestickers anymore? The guy seems to have gone AWOL, or has completely turned off to this community when he stopped answering e-mails earlier this year?

I found Nigel Cave from arcadestickers: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/monkey-online/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

I sent him a message on Thursday, nothing back yet. It really does look like he's blanking us, doesn't it? I may write him a letter instead, see if he replies...

[retrofuture]

Do you have anything to do with Nigel at arcadestickers anymore? The guy seems to have gone AWOL, or has completely turned off to this community when he stopped answering e-mails earlier this year?

No, I've had no reply from him either. Looks like I'll have to go to the States for my next artwork, unless anyone here knows of a U.K. based firm or individual who can do a good job.

[shrunkenmaster]

Hopefully some good news - I've just spoken to a company here in Brighton that say they can do backlit polyester film (marquees) and polycarb laminated vinyl (CPO's), plus general self- and non-adhesive vinyl work.

 I've just sent them some PDF's for a quote so I'll post back here with the results.

[retrofuture]

Hopefully some good news - I've just spoken to a company here in Brighton that say they can do backlit polyester film (marquees) and polycarb laminated vinyl (CPO's), plus general self- and non-adhesive vinyl work.

 I've just sent them some PDF's for a quote so I'll post back here with the results.

Nice one 

[shrunkenmaster]

Quote as follows
 
1) Tron Mini Bezel 300mm x 218mm
    vinyl print & laminate with cut out £6.50
 
2) Tron Mini Marquee 457mm x 142mm
    backlit polyester material digital print  £9.50

I'm gonna continue posting progress at the "UK artwork - printer needed" thread to save double-posting everything:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=102492.0

[yeertha]

This project looks pretty amazing so far. Can't wait to see it finished.

Sorry to ask this in here, but does anyone know where I can buy one of these? I've looked on DigiKey but there's so much stuff I don't really know which one to pick. I'm in the US btw. Thanks.

[shrunkenmaster]

Ebay Ebay Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/2pc-AC-Inlet-IEC-Power-Socket-3P-10A250V-w-Fuse-Switch-/260653314879?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb025f33f

[jimmy2x2x]

Bump for 2011!

Did you ever get these babies finished?

[jimmy2x2x]

Hopeful bump for 2012!

[retrofuture]

They're still here, I'm really going to get around to them soon 

[OTTOgd]

Bump.

 

[Mikeosoft]

hey dude this build is amazing.  There's so much here that has inspired me to get mine going.  Thank you.

[HaRuMaN]

I just want one of those 10" CRTs... 

[opt2not]

Bump.

 

Good bump. 

[HaRuMaN]

Good bump. 

That's what she said...

[retrofuture]

Right, back on the job. I've got some spare time now - the kids are older, less demanding and like... Games 

Got the rest of the side art on the second cab today. Just need to put the T-Molding on and sort out the wiring.

I had to go back through my old posts to see what I have and haven't done so far 

[retrofuture]

Installed the T-Molding today. Hot glue all the way 



Just to prove there are two 

[Le Chuck]

  Awesome to see this thread back in action! 

[HaRuMaN]

Awesome work!   

Damn, I want one of those tiny VGA monitors...  

[emphatic]

Man, that's looking great! 

[Bender]

Very nice indeed! 
So glad to see this thread up again too!

[killsurfcity]

Stoked to see these are back! Looking gorgeous! 

[Woodshop Flunky]

Loved Xevious back in the day!  These look awesome! 

[MameMaster!]

WOW. Amazing amazing work. 

[DaveMMR]

Love it - especially that you went JAMMA with the project (unless I missed something - I skipped a couple of pages.)  Good job!
 

[opt2not]

Sweeeeeeeet, so glad you came back to this!

[retrofuture]

Second cab's 48-in-1 in place now, and stripped the connectors off the loom to fit the joystick/buttons/power. I'd forgotten how much time and crimping hand-ache that takes 



Rewired the first cab's spaghetti wiring too. I think I was in a rush when I first did it.



When I plug the monitor in the speakers buzz... not a hum, a really LOUD buzz 

They're fine without the monitor on, guess I'm going to have to try to replace then speaker cable to the Jamma edge connector with some shielded cable. If that doesn't work then maybe a rethink on the speakers. Powered small units driven from the jack on the board?

[IG-88]

... Powered small units driven from the jack on the board?

Thats what I do. I think it makes the boards crappy audio sound much better. Distortion is less...

[retrofuture]

Yeah, the sound is awful. 

Just don't know if these ex millitary monitors pump out so much interference that NO speakers will work in close proximity to them

[retrofuture]

I did a lot of testing today. Different monitors (LCD and CRT), different PSUs, powered from within the cab and externally... looks like the 10" CRT, which at the moment needs to be powered up after the power to the Jamma board, is effecting the voltage to the 48-in-1. When the monitor is plugged in, the sound garbles. I need to find a way of regulating the power internally to the cab 

[retrofuture]

Four monitors - each seems to work differently  One picks up the signal when first powered up, so I'll go with that one to start with.

[retrofuture]

Well six months have passed and due to umpteen circumstances interfering it's now back on track.

After searching for delay timers here's what I've come up with:





A dial-in timer allows for changing the power delay and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. £5 in comparison to £40 plus for a rack-mount component. Now to see if it works...

These worked great. Once. Then there was an almighty burning smell... on both of them.  Next cab will have a PC and LCD installed 

[retrofuture]

So I'm on the lookout for a decent power delay timer (that'll fit in the cab  , that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. One monitor works fine, so I only need one that can delay for a second or so.

[retrofuture]

Here are a few pics of a the playable cab:

[opt2not]

 
damn that thing looks cool!

[Woodshop Flunky]

I loved Xevious as a kid.  This is crazy cool! 

[rablack97]

So I'm on the lookout for a decent power delay timer (that'll fit in the cab  , that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. One monitor works fine, so I only need one that can delay for a second or so.

You might try these.....you can set the time 0-10 sec, it works great, there is a slight pop when the relay activates other that they work fine...use them in xbox bartops to hide the flubber....

This site had decent prices...
http://www.suntekstore.com/goods-14004188-h3y-2_dc_12v_delay_timer_time_relay_0-10_second_w_h3y-2_base.html

[mikel-tdi]

Hello, I can not see the photos, i know trat they are very old.

I am gong to start to construct my own bartop with crt 14", with the arts of XEVIOUS. I have designed the two sidearts, but i have not got te arts of the control panel, with quality, it is possible to find the arts of the control panel with some quality?

my English is poor, sorry, I´m Spanish.

Thanks for the help!!!!

[javeryh]

There are pics if you look through wayback machine.

[PL1]

There are pics if you look through wayback machine.

https://web.archive.org/web/20131023001308/http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,92656.0.html


Scott